Welcome to the chamber blog!

As a co-founder of a crowdfunding platform that is aimed at connecting accredited investors with sustainable real estate investment opportunities in the Twin Cities, I have a unique perspective on what it takes to be an entrepreneur in the rust belt. Many rust belt communities are recovering from the economic downturn in incredible ways. More importantly, these refreshed local economies are not the same as what we had in the 90’s or even the 2000’s. Now, there is increased focus on sustainability and on returns that aren’t measured on a ledger sheet.

Consider The Triple Bottom Line

John Elkington coined the term “Triple Bottom Line,” which refers to two types of returns outside of the obvious financial return that every business seeks for their investors. In light of the many challenges we face as a society, social and environmental returns are becoming increasingly more important to consumers. Many in the C suite have found it necessary to maintain a broadened focus when considering how to build their businesses.

Companies like Apple, Unilever and DHL have all invested heavily in clean energy technology and usage, which has generated positive press in the short term and will undoubtedly put them in a greater position to weather fluctuations in energy pricing and availability going forward.

Smart entrepreneurs don’t just sit on the sidelines, hoping their communities – whether it be a country or street corner – get better with age. For those entrepreneurs who take an active role in improving the world around their business, those improvements will pay dividends down the road.

Companies also invest in local infrastructure, scholarships and even startup competitions -- the latter seeming antithetical, until you consider that there may be no better breeding ground for potential acquisition of IP. None of these endeavors serve to build short-term revenues, but all help to strengthen the surrounding communities, generate qualified talent and build solutions from the outside in.

Embrace Your Ethos and Turn It Into Action

When you see an opportunity for your business to generate returns outside of pure profit, it is important to weave your ethos into your company culture in a meaningful way. It isn’t enough to have good intentions. It’s how you turn those intentions into action.

This is a very natural thing for a real estate crowdfunding marketplace like SaundersDailey. Our success, the success of our listed properties and the success of the neighborhoods these properties inhabit are all intertwined. One of the stories coming out of our latest financial crisis was the exodus of money and talent from many rust belt cities. We’re uniquely positioned to affect that outflow in a positive way, so our ethos – and, in turn, how our business stands to affect our community – is clear. That passion for my community brought me into the crowdfunding space. It’s the compass that steers our company’s every move, but social gains are not always that close to the real bottom line.

For another example, consider another Twin Cities company: Field Nation, an online marketplace that connects contractors with those looking to “get things done.” Field Nation recently opened a colocation facility in their headquarters. Contractors can drop in and use the facilities as a temporary office, which serves to strengthen their relationship with the brand and encourage further use of the service. This also generates utility for users seeking to leverage Field Nation’s network of contractors, creating bonds with local public agencies looking to spur small business growth in the region. It’s a win on so many levels. It’s smart business.

Minnesota boasts a 3.8 percent unemployment rate and has increased jobs by 7.1 percent since 2011, gains that are at least partially a result of some of the amazing work our companies are doing in the community.

Ask yourself if there are opportunities to leverage the ethos of your brand in unforeseen ways in order to strengthen your brand’s bond with the surrounding community or with your customer base. If you can do so with any measure of sincerity and tenacity, moves like these are likely to pay themselves back in the long run, either in revenues or in other ways.

With the digital marketing climate constantly changing and evolving, many business owners and marketers have a common concern about their website and internet marketing efforts becoming obsolete. Although we cannot fully predict what new "trends" will come in 2016, here are a few tactics that are worth keeping a close eye on as they continue to grow and expand into the new year.

Brands will Continually Adopt Responsive Design and Apps

In 2015, Google announced their “Mobilegeddon” algorithm update, rewarding mobile-friendly pages with a boost in Google’s mobile search results. As we approach 2016, mobile usage and mobile traffic will continue to rise. While desktop traffic won’t disappear entirely, it is predicted that mobile traffic will dominate in 2016. In fact, it’s already happening. Google announced last year that search on mobile has taken over desktop in 10 countries including the United States and Japan.

When Google released the algorithm, information from indexed apps also became a factor in search rankings. Since then, app indexing which drops app content into Google mobile search results has taken off. Although it is becoming incredibly important to have an optimized website to attract mobile users, apps are proving to be just as effective. In fact, 72% of mobile engagement relies on apps vs. on browsers. Apps have the capability to do everything that websites can, except in more intuitive, convenient ways. Mobile apps may not completely replace optimized websites in 2016, but it could be a substantial turning point in how consumers gather, use, and interact with content.

Content Marketing Isn’t Going Anywhere

​It shouldn’t come much to a surprise that content marketing will continue to grow and be an essential part of the digital landscape in 2016. Google is becoming more advanced in filtering out those who are trying to trick the system, and reward those who provide content that is genuinely useful to the end user.

About 67% of consumers rely on content when researching and making a purchase decision and 75% of consumers enjoy when brands offer personalized offers and content. Whether your content marketing strategy includes social media campaigns, email newsletters, blogs, seminars, infographics, videos, or your website itself, in order to reap in the benefits, content has to be defined and remain relevant and useful to your audience.

Video Content will Dominate the Web

Video proved to be a key content platform in 2015. In fact, 69% of marketing, sales, and business professionals have used video marketing, and 54% of marketing professionals worldwide name video as the type of content with the best ROI. Experts are also going as far to predicting that video will take up 69%of all online traffic by 2019. This goes to show that as the digital landscape continues to advance, so will the ways that we consume content. For example,Facebook revealed that the number of videos posted on the social platform per person in the US increased by 94% between 2014-2015, and 50% of Americans regularly use Facebook watch at least one video daily. In regards to website performance, studies have shown that visitors will stay on a homepage for two minutes longer if it has a video.

Written content will always remain in the marketing space, however video content has the power to engage and attract users on a whole different level. 2015 was the year for storytelling, audience curation, and consumer engagement. As video content continues to flourish in popularity and favor among consumers, smart brands will continue to renew, adjust, and broaden their marketing strategies to include this medium.

Brands Allocating More Funding Towards Social Advertising

Social media advertisement spending has grown substantially and will likely continue to do so in 2016. According to eMarketer, by 2017 social network ad spending could reach $35.98 billion, representing 16.0% of all digital ad spending globally.

Taking Facebook for example, some brands have actually seen a decline in organic reach on their posts over the past few years. Why? Facebook has shifted its focus on creating positive experiences for users by de-cluttering the news feed, ultimately cutting down branded posts. If marketers are wanting to reach their targeted demographic, raise brand awareness, increase organic reach, and drive referral traffic on a larger scale, whether to their business page or website, they now have to pay for it. Going into 2016, it’s highy likely that brands will allocate more funding towards social advertising if they have not already done so.

Marketing Automation Tools Maturing as a Reliable Resource

Marketing automation tools help marketers gather important data insights, guiding them toward making better strategic decisions and improving their bottom-line. Organizing and sifting through mounds of data can be daunting, but if the marketer has the appropriate knowledge to accurately analyze and utilize the data, these programs can be a tremendous resource to cultivate information.

Approximately 49% of companies are currently using marketing automation tools, and 65% of marketing executives plan to spend more money on marketing technology in the coming year. Thanks to search engines and social platforms, these mediums have closely monitored and tracked user behavior – giving marketers access to an enormous bank of information. In 2016, marketing automation tools will continue to mature and serve as a great resource for marketers to analyze this data; aiding marketers to make confident, real-time decisions about their marketing strategies.​Have something to add? We'd love to hear what you think. Send us a quick message here.

This year’s nominations for the 2016 Young Professional of the Year award include individuals who thrive, both in and outside of work.

Many young professionals from around the Twin Cities were nominated, and judges narrowed down the applicants to 10 finalists. On January 21 at the YPro: Discovered Gala, five individuals will be named Young Professional of the Year. Keep reading to learn more about these award finalists who continue to cultivate personal, company, and community success.

Godson Sowah is a manager in the practice of Ernst & Young LLP. Sowah is instrumental in providing critical IT risk and advisory services. He utilizes his thought leadership and inclusiveness competencies to coach high-performing teams.

He is also an advocate for youth education, leadership, and career empowerment. This is reflected through both his service as the President for Avenues for Homeless Youth – a north Minneapolis homeless youth non-profit, and his time spent as program director for the Accounting Career Awareness Program.

Kellli Schutrop is a marketing manager for Versique – one of the largest talent acquisition firms in the Midwest. She utilizes her extensive industry experience to drive strategy, propel creative direction, and create new opportunities.

Through her service as the marketing chair for TeamWomenMN, she gives back to the community by mentoring college students and recent graduates, and providing career coaching.

Sara Spiess is a corporate and government relations specialist for the Science Museum of Minnesota. As a key member of the advocacy team, she helped secure $1.2 million in Legacy Amendment funding during the 2015 Legislative Session. Her vital relationship-building ability helped secure the greatest number of event sponsorships for the Science Museum’s Annual Dinner in event history.

As a co-president of the GenYWCA Young Professionals Group, her leadership helps create opportunities for millennials/young professionals – key players in meeting workforce demands of the future.

Bruce Thao is the founder and CEO of LIT Consulting – a consulting business providing leadership coaching, diversity training, and consulting to non-profits, foundations, academic institutions, and more.

His expansive experience in community leadership and involvement include being an advisor to Mayor Coleman and Mayor Hodges for President Obama’s “My Brother’s Keeper” Twin Cities Initiative.

Diversity, innovation, and mentorship are crucial to his leadership style. These three pillars ensure his various approaches to community engagement and leadership development are both relevant and creative.